CRTC commissioner departs leaving just seven out of 13 available spots filled

Candice Molnar has become the latest CRTC commissioner to depart the federal organization after her nine-year term ended last week, leaving yet another vacancy in the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s leadership roster.

Molnar was responsible for overseeing Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The telecom regulator currently has seven sitting commissioners of a potential maximum of 13. The Department of Canadian Heritage has had trouble filling the available seats.

The problem could get worse with two commissioners scheduled to depart this year, including the sitting Chairman of the CRTC, Jean-Pierre Blais.

This announcement comes shortly after Ontario commissioner Raj Shoan was fired last summer due to allegations of workplace harassment and a reported run-in with Blais over his leadership style. Shoan has challenged the dismissal in court. The other vacancy came in 2015 when Tom Pentefountas, the commission’s former vice-chair of broadcasting, resigned.

The Ontario placement left by Pentefountas has remained vacant for over a year, though the federal government temporarily filled the position by appointing Judith LaRocque. LaRocque is a francophone civil servant who also helps meet the CRTC’s requirement of three francophone commissioners to hold hearings in Quebec. Her term ends in May.

Apparently it’s hard to get people who are both qualified to be CRTC commissioners but are also not completely in the pocket of RoBellus.I’m actually gobsmacked at how well the CRTC have been doing their jobs since Jean-Pierre Blais took over.